Russia puts its nuclear deterrent on high alert

[Libertybear80]

Does anyone know what that actually means? Is he threatening nuclear war?

@Magicmelodies21

I am absolutely scared stiff , feel like I am sitting on a time bomb !! Hope it’s all words!! I can’t look at my kids I am so upset !!

You need to put the phone down and turn off the tv for a while, your behaviour is totally out of context with the situation and you'll do nothing but make yourself ill. Stop drip feeding horror into you for a while.

To those being glad Corbin hadn’t got in - even IF he had got rid of our nukes - it wouldn’t have made a blind bit of difference.

1. Anyone using one nuke knows they’ll get at least the same back. It’s called Mutually Assured Destruction and it’s what has kept them from being used so far.

1. We’re in NATO so we don’t really need our own. A strike on any country belonging to NATO is a strike on NATO, so even if he decided to single the U.K. out (and why would he, we are a very insignificant player on the stage, particularly since we jumped out of the EU, he would be buying himself nuclear retaliation.

1. Nukes are REALLY powerful. He supposedly has 7200. Less than a hundred would wipe the life on earth out in an instant. The UK has over 200 nuclear warheads, 120 locked and loaded ready to go. We don’t need that many. Corbin wanted to stop spending money on NEW ones. We have plenty. You cannot ‘win’ a war using nukes, so why keep making more? I would rather the money were spent on something we DO need more of. Like hospital beds, like free university education, like building more affordable houses.

1. The power of today’s nukes, even if they hit say Paris, or Madrid, Rome…it wouldn’t matter because the fallout would spread enough to give most of us a long, painful death.

The Tories have cut UK Armed forces to the level where we couldn’t fight the Falklands War again, let alone get into a war with Russia.

I agree with a previous poster who expressed the wish that intelligent people base their posts on more than what they read on the front page of the Sun or DM. A bit of critical thinking would be so refreshing.

And I can’t count to 4. Oh, the irony.

@yoolia

Surely even the biggest nut job out would never want to cause any harm to their own flesh and blood even if they think nothing of killing others.

The crime of family annihilation (killing yourself and your family inc children) is not that uncommon and it is particularly common amongst narcissists.

And what better way to go out than with a Big Bang. Literally. I wouldn’t trust this imbecile an inch, no one knows what he’s capable of now and especially if he feels cornered.

Putin is a fucking piece of shit. He thinks he is infallible he has managed to remain in power for so long.
I have no idea if this has already been said but why the fuck are there 3 Russians in our house of lords and for fuck sake why is nobody forcing Borris Johnson to grow a pair of bollocks and kick the fuckers out now!
All property owned by Russian oligarchs should be immediately taken by the state and they should be thrown out of the country.
I am ashamed by the lack of effort the UK government has made.
Would I fight if I had to? I absolutely would be throwing petrol bombs yes I would. I live rurally so could hide in waiting too. Could I shoot someone with a gun? If taught how to and it was a simple them or my family then yes I would give it one hell of a go.
I also remember the 1980s and the constant fear that there would be a nuclear war. We had teachers who belonged to CND and I remember them saying that we had reached a stage where it was simply a matter of pressing the button. Then AIDS arrived and all the hype around that ensured I was terrified of that too. On reflection the likelihood that I as a straight, teenage girl who had never had sex would die of AIDS was minute and I'm quite angry about all the scaremongering that took place.

@Bunnyfuller

And I can’t count to 4. Oh, the irony.

thanks for the chuckle

RedToothBrush Thank you so much for your measured and eloquent post. As somebody predisposed to anxiety, I appreciate people like you on mumsnet.

@Bunnyfuller thanks - you've said that better than I could have!

@Bunnyfuller

Re nukes and…

We’re in NATO so we don’t really need our own. A strike on any country belonging to NATO is a strike on NATO, so even if he decided to single the U.K. out (and why would he, we are a very insignificant player on the stage, particularly since we jumped out of the EU, he would be buying himself nuclear retaliation.

That is not guaranteed at all.

If Putin decided to single out the UK as a whole or even one UK city out for a nuclear attack do you think Biden would immediately and without question commit his strategic nuclear forces to a mass attack on Russia, inviting retaliation on US cities? Or do you think there might be a chance Biden might go..ummmm?

The UK’s nuclear posture and planning has certainly never worked on the assumption that the UK could rely on US support in all circumstances.

@notimagain well, rightly or wrongly, that's the point of NATO - an attack on one is an attack on all.... If that's not the case why be in it?

@justasking111

Well one needs a sense of humour at a time like this 🤭

Shame they missed Kaliningrad though

If Putin decided to single out the UK as a whole or even one UK city out for a nuclear attack do you think Biden would immediately and without question commit his strategic nuclear forces to a mass attack on Russia, inviting retaliation on US cities?

He wouldn't need to because we have our own nuclear weapons

@AuntieMarys

Madman.

This

He can’t be second guessed. Terrifying is the word.

We will have to put our faith in ordinary Russians who aren’t really behind this War.

Oh sorry I saw pp was saying we wouldn't need our own Wouldn't want to be in the position to find that out. Obviously better to have your own, and surely the expectation is the countries that have them use them back. If not, then that's when the rest of NATO would step in?

[quote TheLoupGarou]@notimagain well, rightly or wrongly, that's the point of NATO - an attack on one is an attack on all.... If that's not the case why be in it?[/quote]
I know what the treaty says…

Now do the realpolitik and ask if POTUS would inevitably and without question be willing to sacrifice New York if the Uk, and it was the UK only, sustained a nuclear attack…

@Poetrypatty

If Putin decided to single out the UK as a whole or even one UK city out for a nuclear attack do you think Biden would immediately and without question commit his strategic nuclear forces to a mass attack on Russia, inviting retaliation on US cities?

He wouldn't need to because we have our own nuclear weapons

That’s the point I am making (obviously badly).

Others seem to think we automatically have protection because the US has a strategic deterrence, so we don’t need to bother.

@DinnoWoman

Hopefully it's brinkmanship.

This must be what the Cuban Missile Crisis felt like, except this isn't a misunderstanding.

The Cuban Missile Crisis had a Hartman in charge, not a madman.

Where is the UN? To the person who slags Corbyn off at every chance , he has his faults . He did however campaign against Putin and his regime way back in 1999/2000s, whilst our government and the US were going to the Opera and bringing on State Visits( Clinton). Just saying.

Now do the realpolitik and ask if POTUS would inevitably and without question be willing to sacrifice New York if the Uk, and it was the UK only, sustained a nuclear attack…

I suspect POTUS would do sweet fa.....

This is why we need Trident or its successor.

I've been relatively calm throughout all of this, but I actually had to have quite intensive therapy as a child due to a terrifying fear of nuclear war and Armageddon, and I am really struggling to stay together. I know it's disgustingly self indulgent as I am in the UK, not Ukraine and not suffering in any way, but I am really finding it difficult to sleep and eat right now. I want to believe it is all posturing, but something about it feels so unstable and unorganised and I can't see any positive way for this to end now. It truly feels as though it is becoming a real threat.

I've just been having a panic attack. I can't function properly right now. One fucking man doing this to us.

I think people are very scared because if the pandemic has taught us anything its that the worst absolutely can happen. I remember DH planning for it after hearing about China in late 2019, even after what happened to the Italians, most people I knew were still in denial until the day lockdown was announced.

Hopefully this new War in Europe will resolve itself quicker than the pandemic (absolutely no comfort for the poor Ukrainians of course) but I don’t think posters on here are being hysterical. This is at the very least a Cuban missile crisis moment.

Russian state TV: “Our submarines alone can launch more than 500 nuclear warheads, which guarantees the destruction of the US and NATO for good measure. The principle is: why do we need the world if Russia won’t be in it?”

twitter.com/maxseddon/status/1498023555975450626?s=21